About the Queensland Small Miners Council

The Queensland Small Miners Council

The Queensland Small Miners Council (QSMC) is a committee of State-wide Incorporated Mining Associations, broadly representing about 4,500 Small Scale Miners, which collaborate on issues which affect the Gold, Sapphire and Opal mining industries.

The role of the QSMC is to ensure that legislative and regulatory framework of governments and their agencies are suitable for the needs of the small scale mining sectors so that they are not only survive but able to thrive.

These "not for profit" organisations delegates volunteer their services, providing their time and effort to ensure our members and industries are represented so that small scale miners are able to conduct their operations utilising industry best practice and to ensure our industries contribution and sustainability, which in turn ensures that small scale mining is able to sustain and support Regional Small businesses and our local communities.

The QSMC was founded in 2001 and had its first meeting on September 11, with the Department of Mines in Brisbane.

Many of these issues raised at that meeting by QSMC delegates are still topical today!

Small Scale Mining which was once operated by the Department of Mines as "One Stop Shop" is now administered by so many Departments and agencies, with overarching legislation, regulation and policy, that confusion rules, not only for the miners trying to understand and work through the labyrinth of bureaucracy , but also the Departmental Regulatory personnel, who frequently are unable to provide qualified satisfactory advice or determinations.